Strap



Aug. 6, 1940I c. E. l-umwool:`

STRAP Filed sept. 50, 1939' 2 SheetS-Sheet 1 Aug. s, 1940. -E- HARWOD i 2,210,170 STRAP Filed sept. so, 1959 2 shets-shet 2 A Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlc STRAP Connecticut application september 3o, 1939, semi Ne. 297,303 1 claim.` (c1. 24-143) This invention relates to improvements in straps, and more particularly to providing stiffened tips thereon.

One object of this invention is to provide a strap having an improved stiflened tip on one or both of its ends.

With the above and other objects in view, as v will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features ln the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the present disclosure,` in which one way of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken top plan view illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but with the buckle shown in its unlocked position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a strap made in laccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of one end of the strap shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a broken transverse sectional view on line 'l-'I of Fig. 6l;

Fig. 8 is a broken transverse sectional view on line 8-8 oi Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a broken longitudinal sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 6.

In the description and claim, the various parts and steps are identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawings showing the particular form of the invention chosen for illustration, a belt I includes the two exible woven straps or strap-members II and I2 and a buckle I3 which serves to secure the straps II and I2 together. 'I'he particular Abelt illustrated may serve as a safety belt or seat belt' in airplanes or other vehicles. Each strap II, I2 has a loop or eyemember I4 formed by means of a three-bar or double-slot slideor adjustment-buckle lI in a way that is Well known in the art, the eyes I4 serving to secure the straps Il and I2 to ilxed portions of the airplane or other vehicle.

'Ihe particular buckle I3 illustrated, includes a frame I6. a locking-and-release lever I'I pivoted to the frame I6, and a locking-bar I8 carried by the locking-lever I1.

The frame I6 includes two bar-portions I9 and having approximately parallel bar-edges 2l andv22, side-portions 23, and a bottom-plate 24, all formed as one integral piece.

The locking-lever Il has a pair of ears outside of and adjacent the side-portions 23 of the frame I6, the ears 25 being pivoted at 26 to the side-portions 23.v

The locking-bar I8 is eccentrically mounted in the ears 26'relativeiy to the pivot 26 and extends freely through the arcuate slots 2l in the sideportions 23 of the frame I6.

The strap I I has a loop or eye 28 formed at one end in any suitable Way as, for example, by stitching, to anchor'the strap II to the lockingbar I8, and the other end-portion 29 of the strap II is provided with a stiilened tip 30, more fully hereinafter described.

The strap I2 has one end-portion 3| provided with a stiffened' tip 32 similar to the tip 30, and the other end-portion 33 provided with a straight stifiened tip 34 of suitable length which can be readily inserted in a straight line' through the frame I6 between the locking-bar IB and the bar-edges 2| and 22 when the buckle is in the open position shown in Fig. 4.

v'I'he stiilened tips 30, 32 and 34 are produced by stiffening the end-portions of the woven straps with what, for convenience, may be referred to as resin-like material. In producing the stiffened tips, the end-portions of the straps are impregnated or coated with the resin-like material, which may be of a type containing solvent which, on evaporating out, leaves the resin-like material in a relatively-stm' condition to give sufdcient stiffness or rigidity to the end of the strap. ,Or the resin-like material may consist of a synthetic or other resin such, for example, as a Bakelite type of resin which, after being applied to the end of the strap, can be placed in a suitably-shaped mold, which is preferably heated, and which may hold the strap-end rmly compressed while the heat is applied to produce the stiened tip-end. This is the way in which the particular form of tip-end 34, illustrated in Fig. 6, has been formed. The resin-like material may consist not only of resins, but combinations of resins, rubber and various oils may be used. Also lacquers, which include a resin-like material, preferably non-inflammable, such, for example, as cellulose acetate, dissolved in a suitable solvent could be employed. 'Ihe term "resin-like material is intended to broadly mean any suitable liquid or solid material which, with or without heat, can be caused to impregnate or adhere to the endportion of a strap to form a stifliened tip.

The woven fabric illustrated in Figs.'6, 7, 8 and 9 is a two-ply fabric formed of longitudinal or warp strands 35 and transverse or weft strands or picks In the full-width portion 31 of the stifiened tip 34 the transverse strands 38 form a selvage edge by the return-loops 38 (Fig. '7) but in the tapered portion 39, which has been cut either before or after applying the resin-like material, the transverse strands 38 have non-selvage or severed ends 40- (Fig. 8), and inasmuch as the transverse strands in this tapered portion are of relatively-short length, they not only would readily become roughed-up but would be liable to be pulled out of the strap-ends if they were not firmly cemented in position byv the resin-like material. The tapered portion 39 can be iinishformed either-by/molding, or cutting, or grinding after the resin-like material is applied and is hardened. The resin-like material and/or the mode of applying it will preferably be such that the stiflened tip will remain in, or return to, its proper fiat condition, and have sufllcient irmness to facilitate threading through adjustment-loops and buckles, but will have reasonable flexibility so that the material will not break or crack in ordinary usage, and also will be non-crocking, so that it willnot soil belts employing such straps.

By employing stiiiened tips in accordance with the present invention, straps so tipped produce a minimum of noise, have minimum Weight, and

the tips cannot become distorted, or the edges catch on buckles or passengers clothing, which catching on clothing can be serious. In the case clothing of persons wearing of metal tips which have heretofore been employed they not only are noisier and heavier butfar more serious-they tend to become distorted with risk of the edges catching on buckles or persons clothing, which is serious .in that the tip is liable to foul in the buckle upon making an emergency release. This distortion of a metal tip causing it to catch on the buckle, as just d scribed, may completely remove it from 4the we bing', leaving a ragged edge which is virtually impossible lto thread through the buckles or adjustment-loops.

The invention may be carried out in other specirlc ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are therefore, to be respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

A strap including: a fiat relatively-wide strap.- member woven of longitudinal and transverse strands and having an end-portion impregnated with resin-like material to form a fiat relativelywide stiffened tip, said tip having a tapered endportion tapered in a direction toward its end to produce an end which is substantially narrower than the width of the strap, the transverse strands in said tapered end-portion having severedends anchored by said resin-like material. CHANNING E. HARWOOD.

considered in all 

